Stolen luxury car sale racket busted

A RACKET involving theft of luxury cars and their sale through re-registration under false names with the alleged connivance of some employees of Regional Transport Office (RTO) came to light, police said on Sunday. The gang involved in it brought stolen cars from various parts of the State and outside to Bhopal. With the help of fake papers, it got them registered at the RTO before selling vehicles again.

A RACKET involving theft of luxury cars and their sale through re-registration under false names with the alleged connivance of some employees of Regional Transport Office (RTO) came to light, police said on Sunday. The gang involved in it brought stolen cars from various parts of the State and outside to Bhopal. With the help of fake papers, it got them registered at the RTO before selling vehicles again.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, SP Anant Kumar Singh said the police recovered 13 luxury cars, which were stolen and later sold through fake registration papers. The seized cars included three Tata Qualis, four Bolero jeeps, a Scorpio, a Tata Safari, two Wagon R and an Alto. The cost of the seized vehicles is estimated at Rs 50 lakh. The Habibganj police are making further investigations.

A gang member, Ghulam Haider was arrested on Sunday. Haider, a resident of Sanjay Nagar was caught with an Alto car on Sunday. He was arrested for buying the car despite knowing that it was stolen car.

The kingpin of the gang, Umashankar Rai, a native of Mandla, is at large and police launched a hunt for him. The other accused, including Bhavesh, Ajay, Naval Kishore and Shuja’at were arrested recently, police said. The hunt is on for over a dozen other accused. During interrogation, the police found that the gang was in touch with auto dealers who facilitated the sale of stolen four-wheelers.

The police suspect role of some employees of the RTO Raisen. Those under suspicion include PC Bamrolia, Registration officer of RTO Raisen, Prakash Arya, clerk at RTO Raisen, RS Thakran and DP Singh, both agents at RTO Bhopal. The police are investigating the extent of their involvement.

Police in pursuit of gang of robbersA STRONG posse of police has been thrown in Berasia to search for the gang of robbers that committed the robbery-cum-murder near Suhaya and the two loots earlier all in a single night.

The police were already bewildered by the spate of snatchings all around the State Capital including the robberies at Piplani Petrol Pump and Khajuri Petrol Pump.

An extra company has been rushed to Berasia to look for the gang of Parvat Sapera, the main suspect. He is wanted in connection with over two-dozen robberies in Bhopal and neighbouring districts. It is suspected that he managed to sneak out of the district after the robberies.

Bhopal and Vidisha police are jointly conducting search operations in the forests. On Friday night two traders from Shamshabad were robbed and one of them, Rajiv Soni, 25, was beaten to death.

Just three days earlier armed robbers committed successive loots in Berasia. Police are conducting raids at settlements of members of de-notified tribes in Berasia. SP Anant Kumar Singh said the police have certain vital clues and the hunt is on for Sapera and his gang members.